My original vehicle had almost nothing to speak of in terms of electrics so I had to redo all of it. In this article and video I show how I restored the dashboard and fitted a new Land Rover Series 1 wiring loom. I also explain and show how I connected up all the dashboard connections, the fusebox, regulator box and the junction box. The end result was spectacular.
My decision to fit a new Land Rover Series 1 wiring loom went back and forth. Initially, I planned to buy one, but as expenses rose I thought I could save quite a bit if I did the wiring myself. But then in the end I decided to buy a new Land Rover Series 1 wiring loom from Autosparks in the UK. It was the best decision that I made but it was still a challenge fitting it.
The electrics is a daunting task. But it is also exciting when you are fitting all new parts and can see real signs of progress. After almost 2 years I had managed to get together all the parts I needed to fit the dash together and get the wiring done.
The Dashboard
My old dashboard and instruments were exposed to the elements for so long that they were all broken and no longer complete . I was hoping to be able to restore them but they were not recoverable. There was virtually no sign of wiring either so I had nothing to start from. Everything was going to be new from scratch.
The dashboard is such an iconic piece of the Land Rover that I wanted to keep it looking original. I was able to find the correct original speedometer which we luckily had a spare so I had that refurbished. The instrument guage I was lucky enough to get from Owen Walton who kindly parted with this valuable item. The rest of the items I bought were mostly from Holden in the UK. I did not get the original switches and warning lights because they were ridiculously expensive. Instead, I got identical less expensive versions for now. They look the same but don’t always fit properly. For example, the ignition switch was just too small for the hole and didn’t fit in snugly. So I had to fit a manufactured aluminum spacer at the back. This worked perfectly and everything tightened up properly.
Land Rover Series 1 Wiring Loom
Once I had the dashboard assembled it was time to wire it up. Using 2 clamps I made a nice platform to rest the dash on. This worked very well until I was ready to attach it to the firewall. Using the wiring diagram in the manual I started working out what needed to be connected where and started with the dashboard.
I ordered a wiring loom from Autosparks in the UK. They manufacture original spec harnesses for all Land Rovers. But you can also order your harness with changes depending on your setup. I specified that it was for a 107 Land Rover Series 1 wiring loom, with an alternator and indicators. The entire wiring harness is made up of several sections. In the end I received 5 harnesses in total
- The main harness through the firewall
- Long harness through the chassis to the rear
- The front section
- Headlight harness
- Small instrument cluster harness
- Various separate wires for indicators and instruments
Fitting the Wiring Loom
The wiring is very simple because the vehicle only has very basic electrics. But it can still be confusing. I’ll explain below and list the relevant wiring colours later.
The process that I followed was to connect the ignition wires, then the warning lights, the gauges , dashlights and lastly the indicators. Using the new Land Rover Series 1 wiring loom was mostly plug and play except for one or two connectors that had to be changed. These wiring looms can be custom ordered depending on vehicle model and configuration.
Then I moved to the front of the vehicle to tidy off the ends of the wires that had to go into the junction box. I used a nifty crimping tool with a sleeve that stops the wires from breaking and fraying.
Then I connected the brake light switch which sits underneath at the end of the brake pedal.
I have wired my vehicle with negative earth and used an alternator, and that is how I ordered my wiring harness.
The voltage regulator was used to control the voltage from the Dynamo generator. If you fit an alternator you don’t need this because it is built into the alternator. But I wanted to fit it so that it all looks right. I removed the internal parts of it so effectively it is just a junction box now.
Land Rover Series 1 Wiring Colours
The wire colour codes for a 1955 Land Rover Series 1 107 are as follows:
- Brown is power from battery
- White is power from ignition
- Green is fused power from fuse box to power gauges, windscreen wiper, hooter and indicators
- Red is power for dash lights.
- Blue is power for headlights
- Yellow is charge light power
- Yellow/ green is oil light
- White/ blue is choke
- Black/green is fuel sender
- Blue/ white is dipswitch warning light
- Green/red is LH indicator
- Green/white is RH indicator
Then I finished off the rest of the wires. I fitted the floor dipswitch with the additional 3 wires that had to go up to the junction box.
Then I fitted the hooter and the connectors for the hooter. I also ran the hooter wire up along the steering column where it will connect to a hooter switch fitted to the bracket on the steering column.
Lastly I connected the hooter and dipswitch wires to their counterparts in the junction box. Then I could drill the holes and fit the junction box permanently.
Brand New Wiring and Dash
At the end of all that the best of all was fitting the complete dash panel to the firewall. What a pleasure that was. It was a great milestone to see such a significant part of the vehicle near to complete. I thought to myself that if this is what the finished vehicle is going to look like then I can’t wait.
I will finish off the rest of the lights wiring later once I have the body on. But for now I have main wiring done.
You can watch the full video here on my channel The Overland Legend
